Collingwood have adopted a conservative approach with defender Ben Sinclair after he received a minor knock at training on Thursday.

Sinclair has been ruled out of Saturday’s clash against Geelong technically because of concussion, having not felt entirely well after the training mishap, although he did pass the subsequent concussion tests.

He has already missed two matches this season because of head knocks. The first concussion came against Melbourne in round four, and he was late withdrawal from the Anzac Day clash against Essendon.

Sinclair returned for the trip to Perth to face West Coast but took another hit to the head, although he was cleared to play out the game after a concussion test.

He sat out the following week’s loss to Carlton and returned last week for the trip to Brisbane.

The Pies said on Friday Sinclair had emerged unscathed from the big win over the Lions but had received a knock at training and was “shaken up”.

It’s been a frustrating start for the 2009 draftee, who was restricted to six matches last season because of hamstring injuries and a broken hand.

Sinclair has been replaced by tall defender Ben Reid, as the Pies seek to build on the momentum from their win at the Gabba.

Magpies director of football Neil Balme insisted on Friday there were no plans to trade Travis Cloke at the end of the season.

Cloke has played three matches in the VFL since he was axed from the senior side on the eve of the Anzac Day clash but his form continues to be a concern.

The power forward needs to find a way to regain his groove, for the Pies have turned to American import Mason Cox and the recalled Jesse White to play alongside Darcy Moore in recent weeks.

Cloke is contracted to the Pies until the end of next year but will take a heavy pay cut next season.

The recent controversy surrounding Murray Goulburn and its price revision on southern milk pool suppliers does not directly affect the NSW milk pool, which includes some dairy farmers in Forbes, but shock waves are rippling through the dairy industry.

A spokeswoman for Murray Goulburn, Nicole Devlin, said that this month’s announced price reduction applied only to southern milk pool suppliers, which covers the Riverina, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

The NSW milk pool is protected by a price contract between Murray Goulburn and Coles to supply all NSW milk for its NSW supermarkets.

Ms Devlin said Murray Goulburn was aiming to recoup losses over the next three years through the milk pool and through the Milk Supply Support package.

“The previous management forecast strong sales in adult milk supply in China, but it became clear once the early April sales figures were released that that forecast was not achievable, and this led to the price revision,” she said.

“We have tried to spread the burden over three years,” she said, although she added that producers have taken “a bit of a hit this season”.

A new pricing structure will be announced on July 1, but Ms Devlin was not able to comment on what these priceswill reflect as it was still in the negotiation stage.

Murray Goulburn is still in the public spotlight as it now faces media, and social media scrutiny, on debts from the application of the retrospective price revision, the

resignation of company leaders and calls for more to go, and the call for involvement of ASIC.

In a letter to its suppliers (and published on its website) earlier this month, the Murray Goulburn (MG) board and management acknowledged the impact of the announcements on its suppliers, particularly as many were already dealing with poor seasonal conditions.

The MG letter told suppliers that it was also dealing with record low global dairy ingredient prices, and low market prices, but there was no question about its financial stability.

MGs revision concluded that the contracted price of $5.60 per kilogram milk solids for the final quarter of this financial year was no longer achievable, and announced a farmgate milk price of between $4.75 to $5.00 per kgms for the balance of this financial year, for a financial year farmgate milk price of $5.47kgms, to recover approximately $30 million.

The support package will ensure suppliers receive payments this financial year equivalent to $5.47kgms, with the package and its cash funding cost to be recovered by suppliers’ milk payments for up to three years, according to the Murray Goulburn website.

Cautious welcome of Coles dairy move

NSW Farmers Association has cautiously welcomed this week’s announcement by Coles to create an independent fund to support Murray Goulburn dairy suppliers who have suffered through the company’s step down.

NSW Farmers has been engaging with Coles’ Executive team on this issue and looks forward to future consultation.

“While this fund may go some way towards addressing the current crisis of price cuts and claw backs threatening the livelihoods of farmers; it is important to note that this is only one part of a wider conversation regarding the sustainability of the industry. Farmers need long term investment in proprietary brands as uptake of these products will enable processors to reinvest margins into research and development for new and existing products which will drive stronger farm gate returns,” he said.

“Not all consumers want to pay more for proprietary brands, but those who do have the thanks of farmers.

“As has been pointed out in this debate, milk is currently cheaper than bottled water and no one would give that a pass mark.

“Any price improvement in fresh milk is welcome and I hope that other retailers consider their position.

“More broadly, I would hope this current focus on milk prices provides a fresh opportunity for the ACCC’s Agricultural Engagement Unit to take a new look at a long standing problem.

“Dairy farmers in Australia work hard to produce local and fresh milk. It is important that the price they receive reflects the time and effort they put into that production.”

Mark Dreyfus: The raids are “extraordinary and unprecedented events”. Photo: ABC Lateline Up to ten plain-clothes officers raided a Brunswick house believed to be the home of a Labor staffer. Photo: Sky News

The federal shadow attorney-general has labelled the raids of Labor Party offices by the Australian Federal Police “unprecedented and extraordinary” in the middle of an election campaign and said the government has serious questions to answer about the matter.

In an interview with ABC’s Lateline on Thursday evening, as news of the raids was still coming to light, Mark Dreyfus said he was shocked to learn of the events in the second week of a federal election campaign.

“These are extraordinary and unprecedented events and the government has a great deal of explaining to do,” Mr Dreyfus said.

“I cannot think of any precedent for this occurring before … It’s a concern of course because we have a proud record in Australia of non-politicised security agencies.”

On Thursday, AFP officers searched the office of former communications minister Stephen Conroy, while later, two staffers of current communications spokesman Jason Clare were also set to be targeted, Fairfax Media reported. Labor says the raids are in relation to leaks about time delays and cost blowouts of the National Broadband Network (NBN) under the Coalition.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has strongly distanced himself and the Coalition from Thursday’s events, saying the AFP were operating entirely independently from the government.

“It’s entirely a matter for the AFP,” he said earlier. “As you know they operate entirely independently of the government so this is a matter for the AFP. The Labor Party know that as well as you and I do.”

Lateline host Tony Jones said he had received information that the government was only informed of the raids as they were happening, and the AFP said they were acting at the behest of the NBN, not the government. The host asked Mr Dreyfus whether he was suggesting that the AFP was acting in a political way or at the behest of the government.

“I am not saying that, Tony,” My Dreyfus said. “I am saying that all Australians are right to be concerned about the appearance of a raid being conducted on a Labor senator’s office and on the – potentially on the homes of Labor staffers in the second week of a campaign and because of the subject matter of these raids.”

“There’s guidelines that govern the way in which the Australian Federal Police is to carry out searches relating to parliamentarians and also guidelines relating to how the Australian Federal Police is to conduct itself in relation to political – politically sensitive matters.”

“They require that the government be briefed. We are in caretaker mode now. That should require that there be proper full-briefing of the opposition.”

Mr Dreyfus also appeared to question whether there was a double standard at play in the raids, saying there had been “more than 20 serious national security-related leaks under this Abbott-Turnbull Government and not one of them has resulted in an AFP investigation, still less raids conducted in this manner.”

The shadow attorney-general said Labor would be defending any staffers as they would parliamentarians in any criminal matters arising from the raids.

NBN Co confirmed to Fairfax Media on Thursday it was assisting the AFP with an “ongoing investigation”.

I am having a hard time deciding if the fact that I’m really enjoying Stellaris makes its faults stick out or if it really is just a game that is excellent in concept and design but lacking in content and gameplay.

Stallaris is a hybrid of 4X and grand strategy games from the creators of the Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis series.

You take the role of an interstellar species that has just discovered faster-than-light travel, as they expand across the stars, meeting new allies and threats.

It’s aimed at being more friendly to newcomers to the grand strategy genre while also providing enough depth for Paradox Interactive’s fans, and for the most part it succeeds.

However, AI and user interface issues, as well as a particularly dull mid-game, hold it back from being some sort of genre-breaking masterpiece.

However, I’m not that worried.

Paradox has already addressed many fans’ concerns, saying that a lot more content will be coming in free updates, which will coincide with DLC releases.

While some companies exploit people’s desire for more content in their game with superfluous DLC, Paradox is known for providing exceptional support for its games.

All smiles: Kieran Foran is back at training. Photo: Benjamin Tranter “To see him today at training, he looks upbeat and positive.” Photo: Benjamin Tranter

Kieran Foran is back at Eels training and according to teammate Michael Jennings, it’s as though he never left.

Foran has been given the green light to return to the NRL after a stint in a Queensland rehabilitation centre, allowed to train on Friday and play on Monday before he returns to continue receiving the treatment and support.

While he hasn’t trained with the team for three weeks, Jennings insists the Eels skipper hasn’t missed a beat and looks in a positive mind frame despite battling through some personal issues. “It was good to see him. He just slotted in at ease and trained just like he was there the other day,” Jennings said of Foran. “It’s good to have him back. All the boys are upbeat about it and everyone is pretty positive at the moment. We haven’t really sat down as a team and talked about it; individually he has spoken to everyone and seems fine so far.

“I spoke to him this morning, we had a coffee with a few of the boys and his head is in the right place. To see him today at training, he looks upbeat and positive. The only thing we can do is be there for him. Him being around the boys and this positive environment is good for him.”

The Eels take on the Melbourne Storm at home on Monday night, just a few hours after Blues coach Laurie Daley announces his team for game one.

While Broncos coach Wayne Bennett was critical of the Australian team announcement, which he believes affected the performance of his players earlier this month, Jennings says a likely Origin selection won’t be weighing on his mind during the game

“Yeah it will be a bit weird. If you make the team you find out on Monday or before the game,” Jennings said. “You don’t really think about injuries, you just go out and play the game. If it happens, it happens. You really can’t control that. I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. You don’t go into games thinking about injuries or trying to save yourself. I think some players, being their debut, to actually make the Kangaroos squad you wouldn’t want to get yourself injured because it’s a real honour to play for your country. You would be a bit reserved, I’d say, but personally I wouldn’t do that.”

The biggest talking point out of Parramatta this week has been about the defection of Jarryd Hayne from the NFL to Fijian rugby sevens.

Eels winger Semi Radradra represented Fiji in sevens at a young age and has backed his former teammate’s decision to try his hand at a new sport, confident he can handle the transition. “I was pretty happy about his decision. I know Haynesy is a very talented player and hopefully he gets picked for the team,” Radradra said. “To have him in the team, the boys will be happy. Hopefully he brings something new. It’s going to be tough for him, but I know Haynesy he loves the game and hopefully he gets picked. Fiji sevens is very hard, everyone wants to play.

“But if there’s a spot for him, they’ll like him. He’ll bring something new for the boys. Haynesy suits any game. He’s played rugby league, went to NFL and wants to play sevens. It doesn’t matter. He’s a good talented kid.”